The gift of books

Thank you to this family for sharing their Reach Out and Read-Alabama journey which began at Partners in Pediatrics in 2018.

As I write, my 28-year-old daughter is at home working independently as a paralegal for a large law firm. My 26-year-old daughter is in South Korea working on her college degree after having taught herself to read, write, speak, and understand the Korean language. My 15-year-old is reading over pages of instructions from two different families who are trusting her to care for their pets while they are away. One of my 14-year-old sons is in the kitchen making sugar cookies from scratch using a recipe from a Betty Crocker cookbook that has been around longer than me. As he reads the recipe aloud, my eight-year-old and four-year-old daughters help him gather the ingredients. My other 14-year-old son is teaching my six-year-old daughter all about sharks and looking up documentaries that are safe for her to watch. And my 12-year-old daughter is upstairs reading her new book, writing a narration as she reads. 

Every single one of my children are benefiting from the gift of reading.

As a homeschool family, books are a big part of our lives. With eight children under 16, the pediatrician is also a big part of our life. Sometimes these appointments are fun and easy but sometimes they are a bit scary and not very enjoyable. The one thing that all of my children look forward to when we go is getting a new book — even my teenage children! We are so thankful for the books, but as a mom who wants my children to love reading, I am so thankful for an organization that encourages reading and makes a book a treat rather than candy or toys.